Mini idly sambar is a popular South Indian breakfast and dinner dish served in most Indian restaurants. For this recipe you will need mini idly stand or platter. I was waiting to prepare this at home and tried immediately after getting the mini idly maker during my recent vacation to India.

For making sambar:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup – Split red gram (Thuvaram paruppu/toor dhal)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cup – Mixed vegetables ( I used drumstick, brinjal, carrot and beans)
• 6 or 7 – Sambar onion (small onion) (just remove skin)
• 1 big – Tomato (chopped)
• 1 no – Green chili
• 1 no – Garlic (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp – Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp – Red chili powder
• 2 tsp – Coriander powder
• 1 no – Tamarind ( gooseberry size)
• 1 stalk – coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp - Ghee

Seasonings:

• 1 tbsp – Oil
• 1/2 tsp – Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp – cumin seeds
• 2 pinch – Fenugreek seeds
• 2 nos – Dry red chillies
• 1 pinch – Asafoetida
• 5 no – Curry leaves

Preparation method:

1. Pressure cook Red gram (thuvaram paruppu), chopped tomatoes, garlic, pinch turmeric, enough water and ghee for up to 5 or 6 whistles(depends upon the paruppu/dhal) or until well cooked. Keep it aside.
2. Soak tamarind in warm water and squeeze off the pulp.
3. Heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard,cumin,fenugreek, dry red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves. Add onion, green chili, required salt and saute for few minutes. Add chopped vegetables, fry for sometime and then add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and fry until raw smell goes.
4. Add required water; cover and cook for 5 minutes.Then add cooked red gram(paruppu/dhal) along with tamarind juice cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and set aside.

Notes:

• I sometime add tomatoes while cooking dhal because of its nice flavor. You can add tomatoes after onion also.
• Adding ghee while cooking dhal gives awesome flavor to the dhal. you can replace ghee with sesame oil.

For making mini idly:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – Idly batter
• 1/2 cup – Onion (chopped finely)
• 2 tbsp – Coriander leaves (chopped finely)
• 1 tbsp – Ghee

Preparation method:

1. You will need mini idly platter for this recipe. I have mini idly platter that can make 72 mini idly.
2. Heat enough water in the idly pot, grease the mini idly platter with little oil or ghee (for kids) and then take a spoon of batter and fill in the mini idly platter. Once you see steam from the idly pot, place the idly platter and close it with a lid.
3. Steam for 5 to 6 mins or until well cooked. Using fork you can check whether it is done or not. If it is done, then remove platter from the pot . Allow them to cool for 5 mins remove idly from the platter and transfer it to a hot pack. Spongy mini idly is ready.
4. Now comes the serving part, take 12 to15 mini idly in a serving bowl. Pour enough sambar to soak mini idly and then garnish them with chopped onion, coriander leaves, a tsp of ghee on top.

Notes:

• Mini idly takes less time to cook than our regular idly. Check in between to know whether it is done or not. Mine took exactly 5 mins to cook.